Tube expander



0; WIEDEYKE.

TUBE EXPANDEB.

APPLICATION FILED MAY,I5, 1920.

, Patented Jan.31,1922.,-

Ni"? ST OTTO WIEIDEKE, 0F DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GUSTAV WIEDEKE, O33

DAYTON, OHIO.

TUBE EXPANDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Orro Wrnnnxn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube Expanders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to boiler tube expanders and more particularly to means for belling or flaring, the end of the tube.

One object of the invention is to provide a device for expanding the tubes in the tube sheet having improved and highly eflicient means for belling the end of the tube.

A. further object of the invention is to provide such a device in which the expanding rollers will serve to feed the belling rollers into the tube as the belling of the latter progresses.

A. further object of the invention is to provide such a device which will be simple in construction, easily assembled, and of a strong, durable character.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the device is described in detail.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through my improved expander showing the same in a. boiler tube also shown in section; Fig. Bis a plan view in full of the expander; Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 1: 4.- is a section on the line et l of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6- -6 of Fig. 1 and Fi 7 is a perspective view of the means for permitting the removal of the rollers from the cage.

Throughout the specification and drawings, similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 1- represents a cage provided with a head 2 and with a plurality of slots, each of which comprises two parts or pockets -3- and which receive the expanding rollers 5 and belling rolls 6. The pockets -3 and t are provided with inner and outer lips -7- which prevent the rollers falling radially from the cage. The said rollers are inserted in and extracted from the cage through an opening 8 in the head 2-. The opening -8- is normally closed by a ring or plug -9 provided with projections -lO-- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 31, 1922.

1920. Serial no. 381,672.

which retain the rollers 5-- and 6 in their proper positions in the pockets -3 and 4. The plug 9- is held within the opening -8- of the head 2-by spring pins -'11 which lie in openings and recesses --12 and'13 in thehead of the plug. The cage. 1- is provided with an axial opening -14.-- through which a tapered mandrel -15' extends. The mandrel 15 is provided with a head -16-- by means of which it is rotated. The said mandrel 15- is in operative engagement with the rollers. The said rollers -5 and 6 are forced outwardly when the mandrel is rotated and fed inwardly. The cage 1- androllers 5'- are adapt ed to be inserted in a boiler tube -l7 to expand the same in a tube sheet or boiler head l8. The sheet 18- may be of various thicknesses. The tube may lie at various angles thereto, and it is to be understood that the rollers 5 are of alength sufficient to accommodate the angular disposition of thetube and sheetof the greatest width. The rolling movement of the rollers is imparted thereto by the mandrel; but in return, the mandrel is fed inwardly by said rollers. This is accomplished by mounting the rollers with their axes in angular relation to the axis of the mandrel. This arrangement imparts a helical movement to the mandrel when the said mandrel is rotated, thereby constituting. a self feed. In the presentfinvention, the angular disposition of the rollers is great enough to provide for sufficient feeding force for the mandrel to expand the tube but is less than that necessary to overcome the expanding resistance of the tube sheet. In other words, the angular feeding force is greater than the expanding resistance of the tube but less than the expanding resistance of the sheet. Consequently, when the tube is com.- pletely expanded in the sheet, the resistance offered by the sheet will prevent the rollers .moving outward and expanding, and as the rollers cannot expand, the mandrel is prevented from feeding inward. The sheet, tube, and tool will, therefore, be prevented from becoming damaged.

It is desirable that the end of the tube which. projects beyond the outer surface of the tube sheet should be belied, or flared, this belled end of the tube either serving in itself to hold the tube against longitudinal movement, or constituting a preliminary step in the beading of the'tube. For this purpose we have mountedin the cage the spective expanding rollers. The inner ends of the tapered rollers are of substantially the same diameter as the expanding rollers so that they will follow these rollers into the end of the tube. Preferably that portion of the cage in which the belling rollers are mounted is flared, or tapered, to provide adequate support for the belling rollers and as here shown the body of the cage tapers from the head 2 inwardly to the cylindrical inner portion thereof and the roller receiving slots extend through both the cylindrical and tapered portions of the cage. As has been noted the angular positions of the expanding rollers cause the mandrel to be fed inward relatively to the cage and rollers and this arrangement of the expanding rollers will also cause the cage itself to be fed into the tube, thereby drawing the belling rollers into the end of the tube and causing this end to be flared progressively as the cage travels inwardly. The head 2 extends laterally beyond the belling rollers in line with the end of the tube and forms a stop to limit the inward movement of the cage.

To provide large firm contact surfaces between the tapered belling rollers and the expanding rollers one of the rollers of each pair has its end surface conical in shape so that when the belling roller is supported in angular relation to the expanding roller the ends of the two rollers will be in contact for substantially the full radii thereof. In the present instance, the expanding rollers are provided with the conical ends, as shown at 20. I have also shown the inner ends of the projections 10 on the plug 9 as chamfered, as

. shown at 21, to enable them to have a large contacting area in engagement with the ends of the rollers 6. The surfaces 20 and 21 not only receive the end thrust on the rollers but are also instrumental in maintaining the rollers in proper engagement with the manadapted to hold said rollers in said cage, said projections having chamfered ends in engagement with said rollers and providing thrust members therefor.

2. In a tool for expanding a tube in a boiler head, a cage having pockets therein, tapered rollers mountedin said pockets, a tapered mandrel adapted to expanu said rollers, a' ring carried by said cage and adapted to retain said rollers therein, and projections on said ring provided with chainrered ends in engagement with said rollers and providing thrust members therefor.

3. In a tool for expanding a'tube in a boiler head, a cage having pockets therein, cylindrical and tapered rollers mounted in said pockets, a tapered mandrel adapted to expand said rollers, a ring carried by said cage and adapted to hold said rollers therein, and projections on said ring provided with chamfered ends in engagement with said tapered rollers and providing thrust members therefor.

l. In a tool for expanding a tube in a'boiler head, a cage having pockets therein, cylindrical and tapered rollers mounted in said pockets, said cylindrical rollers being provided with conical ends which abut with said tapered rollers, a tapered mandrel adapted to expand said rollers, a plug mounted in said cage and adapted to retain said rollers in said cage, and projections on said plug provided with chamfered ends in engagement with said rollers and providing thrust members for said rollers.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' OTTO WIEDEKE. 

